Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity

Working for Basic Civil Rights and Human Dignity for all Oregonians

Dear Neighbors and Concerned Citizens of Columbia County,

Perhaps you have read about the lawsuit to prevent the County from enforcing Measure 5-190 – the anti-immigrant initiative passed by Columbia County voters last fall. Measure 5-190 would place a $10,000.00 fine on any business that knowingly or unknowingly hires undocumented workers.

Why are people still fighting this measure? Shouldn’t the majority rule and that be the end of it?

We are a volunteer coalition of local citizens and small business owners who support the lawsuit against Measure 5-190. We want to tell you why we are doing this, but first let’s make some things clear:

When we take the time to see how Measure 5-190 impacts real people, we see that easy answers and simple slogans do injustice, and that wisdom is needed in enforcing the law (not to mention drafting laws).

What should be done and how can you help?

First, we believe that the lawsuit to stop Measure 5-190 should prevail. This measure should not be enforced because it is not the role of the Columbia County to make and implement Federal immigration law. There are a number of negative side effects to Measure 5-190.

Measure 5-190 tries to do the job of the federal government and places a heavy financial burden on the taxpaying citizens of Columbia County.

No one should be allowed to avoid payroll taxes or substandard wages. We support enforcement of wage and hour laws, safety regulations, nondiscrimination and fair hiring practices. However, as neighbors and members of the Columbia County community, we believe that Measure 5-190 commits a moral error by oversimplifying a complex problem. We need wisdom, compassion and justice to deal with the issue of undocumented immigration in our community.

‘Illegal is illegal, the law is clear’, some would say. “Why shouldn’t it be enforced?”

Actually, immigration laws are not clear, and the effects of bad law and policy on our citizens are devastating which creates an unwelcoming atmosphere in our community.

Many undocumented people have worked in our community for years, paying taxes without being eligible for any benefits. By raising the fine for hiring undocumented workers to 10 times that of the highest state fine, Measure 190 says to these workers: “Get out of Columbia County. We don’t need you.”

Our organization was recently contacted by a young man who wanted to tell us how this measure will impact his life. His is one of many stories from our community:

He came to this country at the age of 5 with his parents who immigrated to the United States illegally. He grew up here and excelled in our local our school system. This young man looks and speaks like any other young person in Columbia County and has the same dream of the future as others.

“I can’t apply for financial aid to go to college,” he says. “I can’t get any social services, even though I pay taxes”. Should this young man, who left Mexico at age 5, be sent back to a country he doesn’t know? Should he be barred from contributing to our community?

What about the families where one spouse is a US citizen and the other an undocumented immigrant? Should those families be torn apart, should the citizen be deported with the immigrant? What about their children, born as US citizens? Should they be thrown out, or sent to foster homes?

We know other families who came here fleeing their war-torn societies in Guatemala and El Salvador. In recent years, the US Government has formally apologized for its role in supporting state terrorism in Guatemala, and has admitted regret for its role in backing one side in El Salvador’s civil war.So we need to consider how our own foreign policy creates immigrant refugees.

To the people who feel strongly that illegal immigration is harmful, we say that we can work with you to reform federal immigration law. At the moment there is no way for a poor, working class person to immigrate to the United States from anywhere in the world. There is no line to get in, no work visa available. Entire industries in this country, including agriculture, are dependent on immigrant labor, and yet our government seeks to bar from our country the very people that are willing and able to perform these jobs.

We need an orderly way for people to immigrate, and we need justice for the folks already here. We can reform immigration law by holding our federal officials accountable. But first, we should avoid making a bad situation worse. Measure 5-190 was foisted on voters, using simplistic language on our community’s ballot that tempted folks to vote yes. We never intended for this measure to end up in the courts and are now in an uncomfortable, expensive legal phase to resolve something that is fundamentally wrong.

We urge you to join with us in our effort to create an honest dialogue on the issue of immigration in Columbia County. Now, more than ever, we need your help. We are creating new projects to foster dialogue and to tell the stories of the real families who have immigrated to Columbia County. Will you consider donating five hours of volunteer time? Would you make a donation of $20.00 to support our effort to build bridges across cultures and work for a just solution? Together, we can find a way to bind justice with compassion to build a better community, contact Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity at (503) 543-8417 or by going to .

PLEASE JOIN US ON: Wednesday, February 18th,4pm – 6pm,members of the Columbia County Latino community and their allies will join together for a community walk, titled Procession for Respect and Dignity.

WHERE: In St. Helens, Oregon.Starting at the St. Frederic Catholic Church at 175 S. 13th, and ending at theCounty Courthouse.

WHO: New community organization Latinos Unidos para un Futuro Mejor (LUFM), in collaboration with Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity (CCCHD), and with support from the Rural Organizing Project, and CAUSA: Oregon’s Immigrants Rights Coalition.